Empowering all Language Learners with 21st century skills to be INNOVATORS of the future!

Wednesday, October 8, 2014

Classroom Google In A Primary Classroom...Oh Yes!!!!

Its October and I haven't posted any new learning since school started!!! Its been a rather hectic start to the school year with new curriculum in both math and science that teachers in my district are learning new content at the speed of light!! But the learning in my classroom has been so inspirational that I have enjoyed creating new "digital lessons" that have empowered my students in new ways!

My new favorite tool that I will be discussing on this post is ClassroomGoogle. I first heard about it this past summer as they were getting ready to roll it out at the start of the school year. I began looking at videos on +YouTube to help me get a better understanding of its platform. I was so amazed by its "user friendly" platform that I instantly fell in love with it. So I began "tweeting" out ways other teachers were using Classroom Google and instantly received a wealth of knowledge by my PLN on +Twitter .

I decided to use it as an "exit ticket" for reading comprehension with the new #GRA14 Read Aloud that started this week on Edmodo by my dear friend +Pernille Ripp. I always look forward to this time of year as the Global Read Aloud kicks off the fall season! Inferencing and drawing conclusions are two "huge" skills that students must be able to do independently if they want to be great life long readers. So Classroom Google was an easy and fun way for 3rd graders to practice these skills and participate in discussions. You can bring in images, links, YouTube videos as short introductions to a specific lesson. Using it as an "exit ticket" is a great way to informally assess comprehension by students when discussing various topics. Also using it in math as a way to bring in background knowledge or flipping the classroom. But the cool thing about Classroom Google is the integration of Google Drive. Students in my classroom have gmail accounts so this makes it so easy for students to upload content created straight into a folder the teacher has created or their very own google drive. Its a "one stop" place for learning to be seamless and fun!! My goal is to move in this direction where the students are uploading assignments to their google drive or a shared folder created by the teacher! The students seem to be enjoying Classroom Google and its "user friendly" platform. Here is the link to my Classroom Google and what kinds of activities the students have participated in. I did forget to mention one very important piece and that is that students and or district must have the GAFE tools in order for you to use Classroom Google or have access to it.

About Me

Empowering students to create their own digital footprint, Edmodo Certified Trainer and Ambassador, Recognized by the White House Initiative on Educational Excellence for Hispanics in 2015. Level 1 Google Certified, 28 years experience in the classroom.